Vienna retains title as city with the highest quality of life

The new Mercer study on quality of living confirms Vienna's top ranking in international comparisons.

Austria’s capital, Vienna, has topped the ranking of cities with the highest quality of living for the fourth time in a row. This is confirmed by the latest survey of international consulting firm, Mercer, which compares quality of living in 221 cities. Zurich and Auckland take second and third place, followed by Munich, Vancouver, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Copenhagen and Bern. Baghdad is once again at the bottom of the table.

Mercer conducts an annual survey of employees on international assignments from companies and institutions across the world and takes 39 criteria into account for its evaluation: political, social, economic and environmental aspects are considered alongside personal safety, healthcare, education and infrastructure. Vienna received very high scores in many areas including safety, public transport and the array of recreation facilities.